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November last marked one year since elections 2011 heralded the much-hailed and much-touted “new dispensation”. This was the eventuality that had driven die-hard PPP supporters to support Moses Nagamootoo in his new avatar as an opposition candidate, as the AFC was seen as the third force that would hold the balance of power and act as the catalyst for change.
However, the electorate, and those who financially supported the AFC are now having major regrets, because the PPP/C’s warning that “a vote for the AFC is a vote for the PNC” has fructified in a majorly distressing way.
With no party holding a majority of seats in the National Assembly, it was expected by those who supported the AFC that the leadership would have changed the status quo to give greater leverage and voice to the people.
Instead, conversely, Parliament has been reduced to a stage where buffoons are engaged in one comedic encounter after another, causing great disrespect to that bastion of the nation’s dignity.
Since the AFC/PNC/APNU-driven tragedies at Linden and Agricola and accusations of misuse and abuse of campaign funds, with the accompanying criticism of the AFC leadership by its supporters here and abroad, Ramjattan and Nagamootoo, especially, have been strenuously attempting to whitewash their image in the eyes of the voting public, especially PPP supporters from Region 6.
But the Guyanese public, which is easily swayed by clever rhetoric, has seen through the pretence to the real face of the AFC’s leadership. The PNC has always been an open book to them. From the publicly expressed opinions of many AFC supporters, who never dreamt that the AFC would become part of the PNC, they are bitterly disappointed – both in the quality of leadership displayed and the open alliance with the PNC that has ensued in much damage to public and private properties, assault and robbery of innocent persons, including children, and even murder. Many are now voicing a preference for the status quo of pre-elections, with a return of government majority in the House. The fiasco of this 10th Parliament has taught voters a severe lesson.
The vindictiveness that has turned Parliament into a virtual battleground is reminiscent of the days when the PNC Speaker had gagged the most passionate advocate of people’s rights, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, and while Minister Clement Rohee would himself admit that he does not have the stature of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, the malice with which the joint opposition has conspired to silence him is nothing short of malicious vengefulness – not merely against Rohee, but against the government.
Rather than working with a spirit of compromise with the government to drive national development, the joint opposition has spent one year in fomenting national strife and strategising to destabilise the government.
The PPP/C Government has stabilised the economy and Guyana’s macro-economic fundamentals are more stable than that of many first-world countries; so much so that, while this country is giving increases to workers and lands to build homes, even the great USA is retrenching on a massive scale.
Additionally, thousands of persons have lost their homes, even sleeping in their cars and homeless shelters with their families; so it is reasonable to wonder what advice could be given to government by a Carl Greenidge, for instance, who admitted that he had presided over the country’s fiscal affairs even as the country plunged into bankruptcy; or the AFC’s point man on finance, Sasenarine Singh, who has been publicly accused of taking bribes when he held positions of authority in the country.
And how much could the government accommodate the opposition’s demands without jeopardising the country’s socio- economic progress?
This government has not been found wanting in taking the country forward, and the money that the opposition is showing so much concern about has been garnered by prudent management of the country’s economy, so should the government, for the sake of peace and compromise, jeopardize the economic stability in the country merely to accommodate the demands of the joint opposition and cave in to blackmail so that there are no more rampages in the streets and assault on the persons and properties of the state and the people?
A return to majority rule in Parliament seems to be the only solution to this impasse.
However, the electorate, and those who financially supported the AFC are now having major regrets, because the PPP/C’s warning that “a vote for the AFC is a vote for the PNC” has fructified in a majorly distressing way.
With no party holding a majority of seats in the National Assembly, it was expected by those who supported the AFC that the leadership would have changed the status quo to give greater leverage and voice to the people.
Instead, conversely, Parliament has been reduced to a stage where buffoons are engaged in one comedic encounter after another, causing great disrespect to that bastion of the nation’s dignity.
Since the AFC/PNC/APNU-driven tragedies at Linden and Agricola and accusations of misuse and abuse of campaign funds, with the accompanying criticism of the AFC leadership by its supporters here and abroad, Ramjattan and Nagamootoo, especially, have been strenuously attempting to whitewash their image in the eyes of the voting public, especially PPP supporters from Region 6.
But the Guyanese public, which is easily swayed by clever rhetoric, has seen through the pretence to the real face of the AFC’s leadership. The PNC has always been an open book to them. From the publicly expressed opinions of many AFC supporters, who never dreamt that the AFC would become part of the PNC, they are bitterly disappointed – both in the quality of leadership displayed and the open alliance with the PNC that has ensued in much damage to public and private properties, assault and robbery of innocent persons, including children, and even murder. Many are now voicing a preference for the status quo of pre-elections, with a return of government majority in the House. The fiasco of this 10th Parliament has taught voters a severe lesson.
The vindictiveness that has turned Parliament into a virtual battleground is reminiscent of the days when the PNC Speaker had gagged the most passionate advocate of people’s rights, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, and while Minister Clement Rohee would himself admit that he does not have the stature of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, the malice with which the joint opposition has conspired to silence him is nothing short of malicious vengefulness – not merely against Rohee, but against the government.
Rather than working with a spirit of compromise with the government to drive national development, the joint opposition has spent one year in fomenting national strife and strategising to destabilise the government.
The PPP/C Government has stabilised the economy and Guyana’s macro-economic fundamentals are more stable than that of many first-world countries; so much so that, while this country is giving increases to workers and lands to build homes, even the great USA is retrenching on a massive scale.
Additionally, thousands of persons have lost their homes, even sleeping in their cars and homeless shelters with their families; so it is reasonable to wonder what advice could be given to government by a Carl Greenidge, for instance, who admitted that he had presided over the country’s fiscal affairs even as the country plunged into bankruptcy; or the AFC’s point man on finance, Sasenarine Singh, who has been publicly accused of taking bribes when he held positions of authority in the country.
And how much could the government accommodate the opposition’s demands without jeopardising the country’s socio- economic progress?
This government has not been found wanting in taking the country forward, and the money that the opposition is showing so much concern about has been garnered by prudent management of the country’s economy, so should the government, for the sake of peace and compromise, jeopardize the economic stability in the country merely to accommodate the demands of the joint opposition and cave in to blackmail so that there are no more rampages in the streets and assault on the persons and properties of the state and the people?
A return to majority rule in Parliament seems to be the only solution to this impasse.
